After a Delay, UAW Endorses Kamala Harris

One of the most influential unions in the country endorsed Kamala Harris for president Wednesday. The United Automobile Workers says the vice president will attend a Detroit rally next week at which UAW members will be present. "We can put a billionaire back in office who stands against everything our union stands for, or we can elect Kamala Harris who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed," UAW president Shawn Fain said in a statement. As the New York Times explains, the union is one of Biden's closest allies, but—unlike many other unions that quickly backed Harris—it held off on its endorsement while assessing her approach on issues including US investments in manufacturing jobs.

The UAW also looked at her stance on the war in Gaza, an issue on which it had split somewhat from Biden. It recently joined with other unions in sending a letter urging him to "immediately halt all military aid to Israel as part of the work to secure an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the war in Gaza." The UAW "had been one of the few large unions to withhold an endorsement," per Axios, but, as NBC News puts it, given Fain's outspoken criticism of Trump, "the union's endorsement should not be surprising." Fain might be anti-Trump, but he acknowledged about a third of UAW members voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Fox Business has more on the back-and-forth between the union and Trump here. (More United Auto Workers stories.)